Boating accident leaves father dead, sons stranded

Young sons flag down help

ATASCOCITA, Texas – It was a tragic day of boating for a father and his two young sons on Lake Houston on Saturday.

Investigators said the family's boat started to malfunction and when the dad tried to fix it, he fell into the water and died.

"They said part of the boat had broken and was spinning out of control," said Captain Alvin White with the Houston Fire Department. "He was attempting to fix it when he fell out."

The two boys, still on the boat, were forced to find help.

"Some boaters had come by and heard the boys yelling," said White.

The accident happened behind some homes in a Lake Houston neighborhood near Atascocita Place Drive and Cordoba Court.

An off-duty firefighter, who was also boating on the lake, stopped to help the boys. He got them safely to shore and then helped Houston firefighters look for the father.

"The boys were able to tell us exactly where he went in," said White. "We found the dad floating and we were able to remove the body and bring it to shore."

Investigators told Local 2 the boys were wearing lifejackets, the father was not. Firefighters at the scene didn't know the exact ages of the
boys, but guessed they were around 8 and 13 years old.

The investigation into their father's death continues. His name has been released.